


Waves

by changingshadows



Category: TWICE (Band)
Genre: Alcohol, Alternate Universe - Non-Famous, Chance Meetings, Drunkenness, F/F, Fluff, Ocean Metaphors, There's a bit of swearing, also mina and dahyun like to pick apples off trees, but it's mostly fluff, chaeyu is hinted at, side jeongsa, side namo, the tiniest bit of angst i think?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-07
Updated: 2020-06-07
Packaged: 2021-03-04 04:21:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,311
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24597454
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/changingshadows/pseuds/changingshadows
Summary: Mina was the ocean, Dahyun was the shore.And whenever the waves crash, the shore is there to catch them every single time.
Relationships: Kim Dahyun/Myoui Mina
Comments: 3
Kudos: 84





	Waves

Their first meeting is beneath the biggest oak tree in the park.

The branches are thick, leaves adorning each and every part, each one the weight of a feather but packed together they become heavy. Apples grow from this tree; it’s the beginning of an orchard.

And apple picking was Dahyun’s favourite pastime.

It was Mina’s too, which is how they found themselves standing opposite one another with the silliest smiles on their faces, one carrying a wicker basket, the other carrying a bucket.

 _‘More apples,’_ Dahyun thinks, then sees Mina’s basket and thinks how much cuter it would be if she had one herself. Then she stares for a little too long and the taller blonde woman notices.

“I don’t know why I don’t get myself a bucket. Would make life much easier,” she chuckles, and Dahyun hears her small voice whisked among the wind that subtly shakes the leaves.

“Buckets mean you get more apples but, a wicker basket looks _way_ cuter,” Dahyun smiles.

“Thank you,” Mina replies, picking another shiny red apple off the tree. “It was fairly inexpensive. I bought it online.” She inspects the apple quickly before putting it into her basket. This always happens. Mina stares down at the overflow of apples and wishes she had a bucket instead. Dahyun notices the other woman come to a standstill and tips her head to the side.

“If you want,” Dahyun begins, catching Mina’s attention, “you could put your apples into this bucket and we can just pick apples together. And then once it’s full we can evenly distribute them.”

“But that would mean I’d be taking some of the apples you’ve picked,” Mina replies. She shakes her head, “Thank you though. I’ll be fine, these will be okay for me.” But the sad smile she plasters on is enough for Dahyun to know that Mina would be happy with a few extra apples in her basket.

“Come on,” Dahyun takes a step towards her, an amicable grin spread across her face as she places her bucket down on the ground, “let me help. You’ll have a few extra to take home with you!”

Mina tugs at the inside of her bottom lip, considering Dahyun’s offer. Exhaling, she asks if the bright blue-haired woman is really okay with it, and Dahyun nods, gesturing for Mina to hand her the basket so she can carefully tip the apples into the bucket. “Thank you so much,” Mina says gratefully.

“Not a problem.” Dahyun straightens her back once she’s done unloading Mina’s collection into the bucket and holds out her hand, “I’m Dahyun, nice to meet you.”

Suddenly flustered, Mina wipes her hands on her jeans and takes Dahyun’s hand, “Mina. Nice to meet you too.” The smile on both women’s faces is full of light, and it cheers the other up immensely. When they let go of each other’s hand, Mina decides to make small talk. “So, uh, how long have you been doing this for?”

“Since I started uni. My best friend makes fun of me for it but I enjoy it,” Dahyun shrugs and turns to Mina. “What about you?”

“Only in the past year. Picking fresh apples, I don’t know, there’s something…”

“Organic?” Dahyun jokes, lifting an eyebrow, and Mina giggles at the expression.

“I guess so.”

They both giggle before going back to picking apples off the tree. The silence is comfortable, like they had known each other for years, been best friends all their lives. They don’t know much about each other. But they know they have a mutual liking for apple picking so, that’s something, right?

About an hour later, once the bucket is full and Dahyun can no longer carry it, they both drag it back to Dahyun’s car and put it in the trunk. Dahyun grabs a lid and puts it on top, before turning to Mina and saying, “That’s that done. Um…” They suddenly find themselves stuck. Dahyun _did_ say she wanted to evenly distribute these apples between herself and Mina. The two of them had only just met. How do they...?

“I have my car here,” Mina says, “I could quickly drive back to my apartment, bring a box here, then we can distribute the apples.”

They go with the idea, and soon enough, both Mina and Dahyun part ways with a friendly goodbye and exactly eighteen apples each.

\--

Their second meeting is in a picturesque coffee shop, the day after they met.

Mina enters the café and approaches the counter, bag on her shoulder, wearing her work clothes. Her hair is tied back into a neat ponytail and her eyes are glued to her phone. Looking up, she spots blue hair tied up in a bun, then a pair of soft eyes, then a smile that quickly grows. Dahyun waves a little as Mina moves to stand at the counter.

“Good morning, Mina,” Dahyun greets, clasping her hands together on the counter.

“Good morning,” Mina returns, locking her phone and putting it in her bag to give Dahyun her full attention.

“What can I get ya?” Dahyun questions, to which Mina responds by asking for a latte to take away and a chocolate chip muffin. Nodding once, Dahyun presses the necessary buttons on the till and the tray opens.

“₩6,500, please,” says Dahyun, and Mina hands over the exact amount before standing to the side and waiting for her order. Every so often, they smile at one another, and when Dahyun places the latte in a takeaway cup and the chocolate muffin tucked neatly into a bag in front of Mina, the blonde thanks Dahyun before picking up her items and heading out of the coffee shop.

Dahyun watches her go. She sees the lifeguard logo on the back of Mina’s polo shirt.

_‘So that’s what her job is.’_

Mina leaves, wondering why she had never seen Dahyun in the coffee shop before that moment.

\--

Their third meeting is in one of the frozen aisles of a grocery store, about a week later.

Dahyun throws some frozen pizzas into her trolley, her best friend Chaeyoung saying she _needs_ them because _who cooks at university?_

She rolls her eyes remembering the mantra Chaeyoung lives by. _I cook, dumbass,_ Dahyun would always reply. Although, finals rapidly approaching makes Dahyun think she should put less time into cooking, and more time into studying. She can’t believe she might actually follow Chaeyoung’s advice. She stares at the pepperoni pizza in her hand, like it’s a metaphor for something, before tutting and throwing it into the trolley, along with the three ham and pineapple pizzas Chaeyoung asked for. Dahyun sighs. She looks over to her left and sees Mina. A smile immediately appears and she pushes her trolley over to the blonde woman.

Mina gazes at two tubs of ice-cream, deciding what flavour to buy. When she glances to her left and sees Dahyun, she smiles, “Oh! Hey, Dahyun. Didn’t see you there.” She goes back to examining the two tubs as Dahyun rests her forearms on the handle of the trolley.

“Hey! I see you’re figuring out which flavour to get.”

“Yeah...cookies and cream or mint chocolate chip.”

“Ooh, both good choices,” Dahyun states, standing up properly. Mina nods in agreement. “But then again, sometimes you can only have one so...I suggest mint choc chip.”

“You think so?” Mina wonders, looking over at Dahyun again, who nods confidently, making Mina hum and say, “Okay, mint choc chip it is! Thanks.” She puts the tub of cookies and cream back and places the other tub in her cart. “Say, I didn’t know you worked at that coffee shop. I’ve been in that coffee shop so many times.”

“My hours there are like, fucked up.” She quickly realises and says, “Pardon my language.”

“It’s okay,” Mina giggles a little. Dahyun does the same and avoids Mina’s gaze.

“Yeah, my hours there have always been all over the place.” They lock eyes again and Mina nods as she explains. “I’ve been working there for a few months and since I’m in my final year at uni, they give me the hours I can work which is sometimes early morning to morning, late afternoon to early evening, or a random few hours throughout the day. Kinda shit but, it means I get an income every month so…”

“It all adds up at the end of the day,” Mina adds. She chuckles a little, realising that the two of them are standing here, talking like two grown women in their late 50s.

“Yeah, it doesn’t surprise me that we’ve never seen each other.” There’s a short pause. “I noticed that you work as a lifeguard. Beach?”

“Oh! Yes, I’ve been working as a lifeguard for just under a year now.”

“Ah, enjoy it?” Dahyun wonders, and Mina clicks her tongue, shifting her weight onto her left leg.

“I do, I do. It’s definitely a job where you have to be watchful at all times.” Dahyun nods in agreement, recognising lifeguard duty to be a tough and quite demanding job. “I’ve always loved the sea, the ocean, swimming, things like that. Lifeguard duty just...called out to me, I guess,” Mina shrugs, tapping her fingers along the handle. There’s another few seconds of silence between them. “Um, did you say you were in your final year of uni?” Dahyun indicates _yes._ “What’s your major? What are you planning to do?”

“Music! I uh...wanna become a producer one day. I like working with technology and that coupled with music, it makes the most sense to become a producer.” Mina smiles, seeing the clear love Dahyun has for music written on her face, even if she’s said only a few words.

“Wow, yeah. Good luck to you! I hope you achieve your dreams one day,” Mina wishes, and Dahyun smiles, thanking her. Then, her face falls a little.

“What about you? I mean, I know you said you enjoy being a lifeguard but, is there anything else you wanna do with your life?”

Mina stills. Truly, in her mind, she was going to be a lifeguard for the rest of her life. She loves her job, and wouldn’t dream of being anything else. The question throws Mina for a loop. And the defensive nature within her grows stronger.

“Um, no, not really. Being a lifeguard is really all I ever want to be. It’s the perfect job for me. Why would I wanna be anything else?”

Dahyun pouts a little at this revelation, “Yeah but...surely there’s something _else_ you wanna strive for?”

Mina furrows her eyebrows. Dahyun hides her lips. They’ve both unlocked something new about each other.

Both women aren’t sure how they feel about this new discovery.

Dahyun’s persistent and Mina is adamant. The latter clears her throat and says, “No, I’m… I’m fine with where I am right now.”

Then Mina remembers, they’ve only been aware of each other’s existence for a week.

And as good as Dahyun’s intentions might be, Mina won’t let an acquaintance dictate her life.

“Okay then…” Dahyun seems unsure, then she remembers the same thing, and sighs.

Perhaps she shouldn’t give life advice to someone she’s known for a week.

Mina’s fine with where she is. And Dahyun’s aspirations are sky high.

The parting is awkward and they wave at each other, both feeling much smaller than they did just minutes ago.

Dahyun is persistent. Mina is adamant.

They both can’t get the other out of their heads.

\--

Their fourth meeting is at a nightclub, a fortnight after their run-in at the grocery store.

Mina sits in a booth, surrounded by her four friends, Nayeon, Jeongyeon, Sana and Momo. Nayeon is sitting on Momo’s lap, sipping on her fourth beer as Momo drinks her third. Jeongyeon is trailing kisses along Sana’s neck and Mina is certain they’re gonna want some alone time at some point.

She sits on the far right of the booth, running her finger along the brim of her glass, filled with red wine that she is slowly taking sips from. She doesn’t know why the four of them have brought her to this nightclub.

 _So you can get laid!_ Nayeon had shouted to her above the music when they walked into the club.

 _I don’t need to get laid!_ Mina had retorted, and Nayeon let out the biggest and longest _pfft_ she could manage before she and the other three went over to the bar to have a vodka shot each.

Throwing back the red liquid, Mina slams the glass down on the table before letting the four very drunk women to her left know that she’s just going to the bathroom and that she’ll be back soon. They all wave her off and Mina rolls her eyes before standing and making her way over to the toilets.

Pushing the door open, she’s hit with the scent of air freshener, perfume, deodorant and… Mina grimaces at the last one. Sauntering over to the sinks, she rests her bag down on the side and stares at herself in the mirror. Eyeliner faded and a little smudged, lip gloss no doubt gone, and her hair is a lot more wavy now rather than curly. A loud huff escapes her lips.

_‘Maybe I do need to get laid.’_

Opening her bag, she pulls out her lip gloss and reapplies it as the door opens. To her surprise, Dahyun stumbles through, another woman’s arms wrapped around her waist and her head buried in the crook of Dahyun’s neck. They’re both laughing, until Dahyun spots Mina standing there and stops.

“Oh my God, Mina! Hey! Chae! _Chae!”_ Dahyun shouts at her incredibly intoxicated friend who lifts her head and drunkenly smiles at Mina. “This is _Mina,_ remember, I was telling you about her?”

Mina blinks a little. Dahyun had told (who Mina assumes to be) her best friend about her?

“Oh, what? _Hey!”_ Chaeyoung’s words are remarkably slurred. _‘How much has she had to drink?’_ Mina thinks. “I’m _Chaeyoung,_ and this is Dahyun!” Chaeyoung brings her hand up underneath Dahyun’s chin and cups it, before squeezing her cheeks and nuzzling her nose against Dahyun’s skin.

“Mina already knows!” Dahyun tells her. “I _did_ meet her!” Mina chuckles and shakes her head, putting the lip gloss back in her bag. Dahyun looks at Mina and mouths, _I’m so sorry,_ to which Mina mouths, _it’s alright,_ as Dahyun drags Chaeyoung over to the nearest cubicle and pushes open the door.

“Wait, what’s happening?” Chaeyoung asks sluggishly.

“You’re about to fucking puke, Chae, don’t really want that all over _my_ dress or _your_ dress or the floor of this _lovely_ nightclub’s bathroom, now kneel down on the floor.” Chaeyoung does so while giggling uncontrollably as Dahyun lifts up the toilet seat.

For the next few minutes, all Chaeyoung does is vomit. Mina lightly winces as she turns to see Dahyun looking back at her. Dahyun pats Chaeyoung’s back a few times, thankful that her best friend wore her hair up to go to the club. “That’s it, Chae. Just...keep doing that.”

Mina can tell Dahyun is drunk too. She tugs at the inside of her bottom lip then approaches them. “Are you two gonna be okay or do you want me to stay here in the bathroom?”

Looking up at Mina, Dahyun hums loudly, then glances down at her best friend. “How long you gonna be?”

“I think I’m-- I think-- Oh, wait.” Another load expelled.

Dahyun groans and looks back at Mina. “If you _could_ stick around that would be-- wait, are you here on your own?”

“Oh, no, I’m here with four of my friends. Is it just you two?”

“No there’s a third person with us…”

As if on cue, someone else enters the bathroom. “Dub! Chae! Jihyo’s here!” Mina snaps her head to the right to see a tall woman with long hair lean against the wall. Upon seeing Mina standing there, the woman says, “Who’s this? Is this the woman you’ve been telling us about?” She laughs and Dahyun rubs her forehead.

“Yes, Tzuyu, this is Mina.” Mina smiles at the woman introduced as Tzuyu, who waves at her lazily before reminding the pair that another person, Jihyo, is there.

“Who’s Jihyo?” Mina asks in her slightly tipsy state.

“Oh uh, she’s…” Dahyun extends her forefinger, then twirls her hand round in a circle, like she’s forgotten who Jihyo is temporarily. Chaeyoung cackles at the pause. Dahyun joins in, then Tzuyu does, and Mina is just puzzled. Dahyun then clicks her fingers, “Friend.”

Chaeyoung lifts her head then rests it against the wall of the cubicle, her sides splitting. Tzuyu drums her fingers on the wall to the beat of the music.

“She was um...a year above me in uh...uni!” Dahyun explains as best as she can, the inebriation hitting her like a ton of bricks. “Same major! She’s my _best friend,_ I love her.”

“Hey!” Chaeyoung swats at Dahyun’s leg. “I thought _I_ was your best friend!”

“You _are_ my best friend, you’re my best, best, best, _best_ friend! But Jihyo’s still like...my best friend, y’know?”

Mina chuckles to herself, covering her face with one hand as Tzuyu says, “She’s just text me again! Can you two move your ass?” Opening the door to the bathroom, Tzuyu heads out as Dahyun lifts Chaeyoung up off the floor. She wraps one of Chaeyoung's arms around her shoulder, then asks Mina if she could do the same with Chaeyoung’s other arm, and Mina obliges.

“How much has she had to drink?” Mina decides to ask.

“Oh, loads,” Dahyun answers.

“Not _that_ much!” Chaeyoung defies.

“You’ve had _tons_ to drink, shut the fuck up,” Dahyun fires back, and the younger woman snorts, resting her forehead on Dahyun’s right shoulder. Mina opens the bathroom door and Tzuyu turns, seeing the trio walk out slowly. Tzuyu holds the door open for them then stays in front of them as she leads them through the crowd and out of the club.

Mina catches the eyes of her friends who all wonder what she’s doing. The blonde holds her index finger up in the air, signalling that she’ll be back in a minute, and the four of them spot it and sit back down in their seats.

Once she, Dahyun, Chaeyoung and Tzuyu are outside, they’re greeted by Jihyo, who huffs as she stands next to her car.

Tzuyu waves at Jihyo before getting in the backseat, and Jihyo smiles at her before shaking her head as she saunters up to the trio. “Come on, you,” she says to Chaeyoung, as Mina carefully takes her arm off and leaves her to both Dahyun and Jihyo. She watches as the pair sit Chaeyoung in the middle of the back seat next to Tzuyu; Chaeyoung drops her head onto Tzuyu’s right shoulder, instantly falling asleep. Tzuyu tuts but doesn’t move. Dahyun and Jihyo turn to face Mina, the latter saying, “Thanks so much for helping them out.”

“Not a problem. You must be Jihyo.”

“That is I,” Jihyo says, offering up a kind smile as Dahyun leans against her body. “Get in the car,” Jihyo tells her softly, but with a degree of firmness. Dahyun whines a little and pouts before moving away from Jihyo and climbing in. “Make sure you have your seatbelts on the three of you!” Jihyo calls out to them, and Tzuyu takes control of that as Jihyo turns her attention back to Mina. “And let me guess...you’re Mina?”

“Indeed,” Mina nods. They shake one another’s hand with a smile.

“Pleasure to meet you. I’m so sorry about them, they insist on going out, well, _Chaeyoung_ insists on going out nearly every day of the week so I’m left to pick them up every time. I’m trying to get them to stop going out and drinking so much but...they just won’t listen.”

“Maybe after their hangovers tomorrow morning they might do,” Mina claims.

“Hangovers typically don’t stop them but, to be honest…” Jihyo turns to look at them briefly, then turns back to Mina and brings her voice down to a whisper. “I’ve never seen them _this_ drunk so, you might be right.”

Letting out a chuckle, Mina says, “I should let you go. My friends are probably waiting for me and you have to drive three drunk women back to their dorm!”

Jihyo rolls her eyes with a lopsided smile on her face and shakes her head lightly, before they both bid one another goodbye with a wave. Getting into the driver’s seat, Jihyo starts the engine, makes sure the trio has their seatbelts on, then waves at Mina once again before driving off. Dahyun, sitting on the side closest to Mina, waves at her enthusiastically with a bright smile on her face then shouts, “Thank you!”

Mina smiles then laughs, waving back at her. A hum escapes her lips. She then turns and heads back into the club to find her four friends on the dance floor. They spot her and beckon her over to them, and Mina goes, telling all of them they should really get going soon.

They’re there for another half an hour.

Mina thinks of Dahyun’s bright blue hair.

And Dahyun dreams of Mina’s smile.

\--

Their fifth meeting is on the golden sands of the beach.

It’s the start of July. A month after they initially met in the park.

Dahyun notices Mina, standing towards the back of the beach, sporting the same bright yellow polo shirt and red shorts she wore when going to the coffee shop that one morning. Mina gazes around until she finally sees Dahyun, and they wave at one another.

She didn’t know whether it was coincidence or not, but Mina had begun to see Dahyun working in the coffee shop a lot more following the day she saw her for the first time. It still baffled Mina how she had not seen Dahyun once. Maybe she had at some point or another, and was just in such a rush every time that her eyes wouldn’t have lingered long enough to be able to recognise the blue hair that would one day speak to her when they were both standing beneath the same oak tree.

But her eyes linger today, and Dahyun moves to stand beside her, leaving Chaeyoung and Tzuyu to their own devices.

“Hey,” Dahyun says.

“Hi,” Mina replies.

They stand there in silence for a little while, the sand beneath Dahyun’s feet scorching hot. She doesn’t mind though. Out of the blue, her mind goes back to that night at the club. And then to when they saw one another at the grocery store. Dahyun could only think of doing one thing.

“I want to apologise.”

The words are surprising to Mina as she knits her eyebrows together and looks towards Dahyun. “For what?”

“Well, for a couple of things. I think I was too...forward at the grocery store. I never intended to tell you how you should live your life so,” she shrugs out of habit, “I’m sorry.” Mina brushes her off with an _it’s okay,_ though the inherently defensive nature argues otherwise. Mina pushes it down. _‘She was just trying to give you advice and you turned your back.’_ Mina’s eyes flutter shut, the cool ocean breeze washing over her, like the ocean itself does when she swims within it. “Also, for...that night at the club.” Mina chuckles, opening her eyes.

“Honestly, it’s okay. Drunk friends, you know.”

Dahyun nods, understanding fully. She sits down on a nearby rock and starts drawing random shapes in the sand. “So, um, how did you become a lifeguard?”

Mina turns to Dahyun then sits down on a rock beside her. “Well, alongside my uni studies - I did a major in marine biology - I took a course in lifeguarding. When I left uni last year, I applied for a job last year, and they accepted me pretty much immediately. I had to do some extra training but, yeah.”

“Wow…” Dahyun stuck out her bottom lip, impressed. “So, that means you would have been in the same year as Jihyo. She also left last year.”

Mina thinks about it, then nods, “I guess so, yeah. My birthday’s 24th March.”

“Hers is 1st February,” Dahyun replies, and Mina grins at her. “I’m just over a year younger. 28th May.”

Pondering it a bit longer, Mina then says, “That would’ve been just a few days before we met.” Dahyun nods at her. “Happy very belated birthday, then.”

“Ha, thank you,” Dahyun chuckles. They catch themselves staring at one another a little longer, before a voice interrupts the sudden contest.

“Dahyun!” It’s Chaeyoung. The grey-haired woman looks around until she and Tzuyu notice Dahyun sitting on the rock. Dahyun looks back at the pair, blocking out the sun with her hand. “Oh! There you are!” Chaeyoung shouts, waving her entire arm. Dahyun returns the gesture before looking back over at Mina.

“I’m so sorry, I’ve been distracting you from your job.” The younger woman almost trips over standing up. Mina gets up too and is about to tell her that it’s okay, when Dahyun quickly says goodbye and runs, leaving the blonde a little taken aback, but a smile reaches her lips anyway.

Her heart jumps a little when Dahyun looks back and smiles.

And Dahyun feels the once dormant butterflies quickly take flight.

\--

(“Maybe I’m just crazy but, I think you have a crush on Mina,” Chaeyoung tells Dahyun one day as they’re sitting in their dorm.

Dahyun lifts her head up from where she’s reading the same page of a textbook over and over again. _If I just try to absorb the information, it’ll eventually go in,_ Dahyun had told Jihyo.

 _No, you actually have to study the words,_ Jihyo had replied, and Dahyun didn’t pay much attention. Now she really wishes she had as she enters her last week of finals.

Chaeyoung’s words derail the train that was heading towards study town, and put it on a new track. Destination, Mina city.

“You what?” Dahyun says casually.

“I think you have a crush on Mina,” Chaeyoung repeats. The butterflies were right. Dahyun’s heart _does_ skip a beat at the mere mention of her name. “Aha! See? You blushed then.” Dahyun nudges Chaeyoung’s shin with her foot and Chaeyoung chuckles. “Do you have her number?” Dahyun slowly indicates _no._ “You serious? You’ve seen her what...four times?”

“Five, actually,” Dahyun corrects.

“Oh wait, you’re counting? Shit, you _definitely_ have a crush on her,” Chaeyoung says, looking back down at her phone so she can keep scrolling through Instagram.

That’s when Dahyun changes the topic, “So what about you and Tzuyu, huh?”

“Fuck off!” Chaeyoung returns the kick to the shin and Dahyun hides her laughter behind her textbook.

It quickly dissipates however when Dahyun considers the fact that indeed, she _doesn’t_ have Mina’s number.

She endeavours to ask the next time she bumps into Mina, whenever that may be.

If her love of their chance meetings don’t prevent her from doing so.)

\--

(When the five of them are sitting around a table in the corner of a restaurant, four of them decide it’s the perfect time to turn the conversation topic to the elephant in the room.

“So...Mina,” Nayeon opens, grabbing the blonde’s attention, “when are you gonna ask Dahyun out?”

The question is so straight-forward and forthcoming, Mina doesn’t know how to answer it, and Momo elbows her girlfriend in the rib as a way of getting that point across.

“Excuse me?” Mina asks, confused.

“What?” Nayeon turns to Momo, unsure of what she did wrong. Momo grits her teeth then fully nudges Nayeon in the side. “Hey!”

Jeongyeon and Sana simply laugh, turning their heads to one another to kiss before Jeongyeon brings her attention back to Mina, leaving Sana to continue kissing her jaw. “I think what Nayeon is _trying_ to ask, is--”

“Oh, no, I understood _exactly_ what Nayeon was trying to ask, thanks,” Mina cuts in, staring at Nayeon who looks back at her, unashamed.

“Listen, I just think if you dance around what your heart is clearly telling you, you will never know if she feels the same way!” Nayeon dramatically claims, and Momo laughs.

“What’s this Shakespeare bullshit you pulled out your ass?”

Nayeon faces Momo again and can’t help but smile as she captures the younger woman’s lips in a kiss. Mina eyes the two couples and wonders how exactly she ended up being friends with them.

She doesn’t know where she’d be without them, though.

Sana stops kissing Jeongyeon’s jaw to look at Mina and say, “Do you like Dahyun?”

If her beating heart wasn’t so fast, if thoughts of Dahyun’s smile didn’t cloud her mind so much, if seeing Dahyun whenever they bumped into one another didn’t make her cheeks go red, Mina would absolutely reply _yes,_ but not like _that._

Except, Mina can’t do that. Everything is so apparent, and her blatant lies would only make her friends more sceptical.

“I… Okay, I do kinda like her,” Mina eventually admits.

“See?” Nayeon pokes the blonde’s shoulder and Mina shrugs her off, a grin breaking through the tough exterior. “So, next time you see her, ask her out.”

“I don’t even have her number,” Mina quietly confesses.

Hearing that, the four women sitting with her all let out variants of _shut up, no way, you’re kidding_ and _get out of here!_ Mina nods her head, chuckling.

Just then, the door to the restaurant opens, and they see one another from afar.)

Their sixth meeting is in the beautifully decorated restaurant.

Nayeon, Momo, Jeongyeon and Sana turn their heads to see Dahyun enter with three others. Upon seeing Mina, Dahyun waves, a little shyly, noticing how four more pairs of eyes are on her. Mina wills them to stop staring and they do so instantly, smirking at Mina as they turn around again. Returning the wave, Mina sees Dahyun, Chaeyoung, Tzuyu and Jihyo sit down at a table not too far from them.

“Go get her number!” Nayeon whispers to the blonde. Mina clears her throat and excuses herself to the bathroom, catching Dahyun’s eyes as she does so. Dahyun tells those she’s with that she’ll be back in a few, and she stands up to follow Mina to the bathroom.

From across the way, Nayeon, Momo, Jeongyeon and Sana lock eyes with Jihyo, Chaeyoung and Tzuyu. They all smile at one another before the four call the three over. The trio exchange looks before getting up to introduce themselves, and they sit at the booth and start chatting.

Meanwhile, Mina and Dahyun stand opposite one another in the bathroom.

“This is the second time we’ve spoken in a public bathroom,” Dahyun makes a point of saying. “Only this time it’s in a restaurant, and none of us are drunk, and I’m not standing beside a puking twenty-one-year-old.”

Mina giggles, “Indeed. So, how are you?”

“I’m okay, finals are kicking my ass but thankfully I’ve only got two days left!” Dahyun claps her hands excitedly and Mina breathes a sigh of relief, knowing how it feels. “You?”

“I’m good, still doing my lifeguarding job.” Dahyun nods, a smile on her face. They then stand there for a few seconds, unsure of what to say. “You know, I’ve been thinking a lot...about what you said to me at the grocery store.” Dahyun almost closes in on herself, the embarrassment from that day having not disappeared. “And, you’re right.” Dahyun glances up at her softly. “I don’t really wanna be a lifeguard my entire life but, the ocean is… Well, I love the sea. I feel like if I was to do anything with my life, it would be related to the sea. A part of me just wants to ditch everything here and swim across the entire world.”

“Why didn’t you become a marine biologist?” Dahyun wonders, remembering what Mina’s major was.

“I guess I got sucked into doing lifeguarding once I did the course. My parents said _yeah, do lifeguarding! That’ll be good for you!_ It’s like we completely forgot what I had studied at university.”

“If you still want to become a marine biologist, you can! It’s never too late! You have the qualifications, the credentials to back it up!” Dahyun encourages, taking a step closer to Mina and in the process, making a strong blush form on the blonde’s cheeks. The enthusiasm, the passion and eagerness radiating from Dahyun feels infectious, but Mina can’t seem to grab onto any of it.

She wishes she could.

“I think you should apply for a job in marine biology,” Dahyun suggests, and Mina looks at her. The closeness suddenly makes breathing that little bit more difficult.

When Dahyun gazes into Mina’s eyes, it’s like the whole world stops.

And when Mina’s eyes flicker to Dahyun’s lips, Dahyun notices, and her heart rate goes through the roof.

“You think so?” Mina says. Her voice is delicate. Gentle.

Like the leaves that adorn the branches of the oak tree they stood beneath when they met one another.

How a hobby such as apple picking brought the two of them together remains a mystery.

Even though the mystery has already been solved.

Every recent meeting brings warmth to their skin, makes the butterflies soar, makes their hearts pound.

Dahyun swallows thickly. “Yes, I do.”

Mina shrugs her shoulders, and Dahyun can see it in her eyes. A bird in a cage who wants to be free.

Mina is the ocean. Dahyun is the shore.

And whenever the waves crash, the shore is there to catch them every time.

“Can I say something?” Dahyun wonders, and Mina nods vehemently. “I like you a lot.” The words get caught in Mina’s throat. “My friends tease me about it but, I do.” Dahyun holds her gaze, and Mina tugs at the inside of her bottom lip.

“I like you too,” she replies. “I don’t want us to keep having chance meetings,” Mina reveals, her words genuine.

“Neither do I,” Dahyun says. “Shall we...make these meetings more frequent? And planned?” She chuckles a little at the last question, as does Mina.

“Perhaps we should.” They stare at one another for a few seconds longer, before Mina pulls her phone out. “Can I get your number?” she questions, and Dahyun nods, taking out her own phone so they can exchange numbers.

“I’ll call you,” Dahyun promises as they leave the bathroom. The other seven quickly notice them exiting the bathroom and Dahyun’s friends go back to their table in seconds flat. Mina and Dahyun give each other one final look before parting ways and going back to their table, only to find that their friends are all wearing big, stupid smiles on their faces.

Despite not seeing them together, Mina and Dahyun can sense that the seven of them have been talking.

Which is exactly how the two of them end up in a groupchat set up by their friends.

From a distance, they eye one another and grin.

Within the groupchat and their own private conversation, they talk to each other all throughout the night.

\--

Their seventh meeting is beneath the biggest oak tree in the park.

They sit beside one another, Mina now using her wicker basket to hold the contents of their picnic.

Between them, they share sandwiches, a bottle of lemonade, and a few baked treats.

It’s the end of July. University for Dahyun is now over.

Halfway through their picnic, Mina turns to Dahyun, “I need to tell you something.”

“Hm?”

“I’ve been looking into marine biology jobs.” Dahyun tips her head to the side, waiting for Mina to continue. “I found one and applied for it and...they want me to do an interview.”

A beaming smile appears on both women’s faces. Dahyun moves the basket out of the way to scoot closer to Mina and hug her tightly, congratulating her.

“It’s just an interview, I might not be accepted!” Mina makes a point of saying.

“But _still,”_ Dahyun begins, pulling away, “getting an interview is incredible! I’m so proud of you.”

“Thanks!” They grin at one another, then notice how close they are.

Dahyun hides her lips, and Mina runs a hand through her hair. “Um, can I be honest?” Dahyun says after a little while. Mina nods. “I kinda wanna kiss you.”

A giggle escapes Mina lips, and she replies, “I want to do the same.”

They gaze at one another, then begin to lean in at the same time. “Can I kiss you?” Dahyun wonders. Mina nods, then tilts her head to one side as Dahyun gradually closes the distance between them. She brings a hand up to cup Mina’s cheek as Mina slowly rests her hand on Dahyun’s waist. The kiss is short and sweet, but when they pull away they immediately press their lips to one another again, making it last longer.

“Can I say another thing?” Dahyun asks when they draw back a second time, to which Mina nods. “I kinda wanna be with you too.”

“I want the same thing,” Mina replies, nodding and smiling. “Will you be mine?”

Dahyun grins. “Yes.”

They kiss once again.

The ocean laps the shore with each passing day. Every wave that collides with the rocks, knows it will always have the shore to catch them. And the shore becomes the seabed that holds the ocean up. The seabed knows it can count on the ocean. And the ocean knows it can count on the shore.

The wind that shakes the leaves becomes the ocean breeze that keeps the sail steady.

And with interlocking hands, the new couple sail away.


End file.
